The Passage

43“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

(Matthew 5:43–48)

The Notes

As a result of His teaching, preaching, and healing the sick throughout Israel, Jesus’ fame attracted great multitudes. After Jesus retreated to the hill country to pray in solitude, He emerged to find a large crowd waiting for Him.​He taught them in this discourse, known as the “Sermon on the Mount.” This body of teaching explains how His kingdom differs from the current world system, announces the arrival of His kingdom, and invites hearers to become a part of it today.

The Terms

“love” [agapaō]: (1) to have a warm regard for and interest in another, cherish, have affection for, love; (2) to have high esteem for or satisfaction with something, take pleasure in; (3) to practice/express love, prove one’s love.

William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker, and Walter Bauer,A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 5–6.

“enemies” [echthros]: (1) in the passive sense, pertaining to being subjected to hostility, hated; (2) in the active sense, pertaining to being hostile, hating, hostile.

William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker, and Walter Bauer,A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 419.

“pray” [proseuchomai]: to speak to or to make requests of God—“to pray, to speak to God, to ask God for, prayer.”

Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida,Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 408.

“persecute” [diōkō]: (1) to move rapidly and decisively toward an objective, hasten, run, press on; (2) to harass someone, especially because of beliefs; (3) to cause to run or set in motion, drive away, drive out; (4) to follow in haste in order to find something, run after, pursue.

William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker, and Walter Bauer,​A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 254.

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